Garbage container with secure, threaded lid

ABSTRACT

A secure lid garbage container with pre-slotted, internally molded cavities into which casters can be inserted or exchanged is provided. The garbage container has an elongated body that defines a cavity for holding garbage that is accessible through an end of the body. The body has an end with a circumference that can be engaged by a lid so as to close access to the cavity through the end. A threaded engagement is present and is configured with both the lid and the end. The threaded engagement is configured so that attachment of the lid to the end is made by completely rotating the lid around the circumference of the end at least one time.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to garbage containers. Moreparticularly, the present application involves a garbage container witha threaded connection that creates a tight and secure fit to preventunwanted opening of the garbage container by wind or animals. Thethreads are large, prominent, and relatively coarse, and circumscribethe lid and trash can top at least two times, creating a trashcan/lidassembly which can be easily opened by a human hand to insert trash, butis extremely difficult to open by animals. The garbage containeradditionally offers pre-slotted, internally molded cavities into whichcasters can be inserted or exchanged.

BACKGROUND

Removing trash and waste material and storing it for pickup is anextremely common household chore. Crafty animals like raccoons, skunks,possums, and even dogs can wreak havoc on garbage containers and createa monumental mess. Inclement weather conditions can also produce highwinds that knock garbage containers over and scatter debris everywhere.

Traditional garbage containers have used many different mechanisms tosecure the lid, with limited success. Many lids are separate componentsthat rest directly on top of the body of the container and are closed bypressing down to create a seal, either through snapping the lid over oneor more protuberances on the side of the trashcan or friction betweenthe inner surface of the lid and the outer surface of the trashcan. Thelid and body can be configured with a snap lock mechanism to effecttheir attachment. Other garbage containers have lids that are attachedto the top of the container and secured using a latch system. Stillfurther, other garbage containers include lids that incorporate variouscombinations of latches, elastic cords, and hook and loop typefasteners.

Prior garbage containers have also been provided with a pair of slots onthe exterior surface of the body that extend a short length in both theaxial and circumferential direction of the body. Nodules on the lid arepositioned into the slots and the lid is rotated in the circumferentialdirection in order to slide the nodules along the slots to effectlocking of the lid onto the body. Another locking arrangement is knownthat makes use of a plurality of interrupted twist threads on the outersurface of the body. Lug wedge-shaped members on the inner surface ofthe lid are positioned so as to engage the interrupted twist threads.The lid is turned a short distance in the circumferential direction andthe lug wedge-shaped members slide along the interrupted twist threadsand are locked thereon. Although these locking arrangements work wellfor their intended purposes, they are problematic in that they do noteffect a tight seal between the lid and the body of the garbage can. Assuch, odor from within the garbage can may be noticeable from theoutside. Also, resourceful animals may be able to remove the lid fromthese types of garbage cans as their removal only requires the lid berotated a slight distance in the circumferential direction, or that thetrashcan be knocked over, whereupon most of the “friction” and “snap-on”lids will become disconnected with the trashcan upon impact with theground.

Current lid closure arrangements are susceptible in some manner toeither animal or wind incursion because their locking mechanism can bemanipulated to varying degrees, and, in some cases, are inadequate tosatisfactorily affix the lid to the can. Additionally, their closingarrangements may be problematic in that odor from within the body of thegarbage container can escape through the aforementioned closingarrangements.

As such, there is a need for a trashcan/lid assembly which allows aperson easily and quickly remove the lid to insert trash, but hasphysical characteristics which minimize the escaping of noxious odorsfrom the trashcan, reduce the likelihood that the lid will be separatedfrom the trashcan should it blow over, and diminish the chances that adetermined animal will be able to remove the lid.

Another major problem facing the users of garbage containers is that afull garbage container can be quite heavy and difficult to move. Thecommon approaches currently seen in the prior art are to use a dolly tolift each individual trash can onto the dolly's wheels before hauling itto its desired destination, or buy a separate wheeled stand upon whichthe garbage container sits. There are also garbage containers made withbuilt-in wheels. The disadvantages of each of these approaches follows.

With respect to the use of a dolly to move garbage containers, the userof the invention has to first, buy a dolly, second, maintain the dolly,and, third, store the dolly when it is not being used. While it may notappear on its face that storing a dolly can be burdensome, one only hasto think of the average two-car garage, filled with two cars and anassortment of storage boxes, tools, and garden machines, so realize thatstoring a dolly for use once or twice a week is undesirable. With adolly, a person also has to balance a sometimes extremely heavy garbagecontainer over the axis described by a line between the two wheels, thusrequiring additional strength on the part of the human and raising thelikelihood of an accidental spilling of the garbage container, which atbest results in an unpleasant picking up of the garbage and at worst canresult in serious injury to the human as he/she tries to grab thefalling garbage container and/or is hit by the garbage container as itfalls off the dolly.

A person can also purchase a wheeled stand for each garbage container,upon which the garbage container is placed. When the person wants tomove the garbage container, such as leaving it curbside once a week forgarbage pick-up, he/she merely pushes it to the desired location. Itshould be noted, however, that some such wheeled stands lack adequateretention straps or other devices to secure the garbage container uponthe wheeled stand, such that a person using such a device also runs therisk that the garbage container will fall off. A further disadvantage ofwheeled stands is that in the event of a wheel becoming jammed with dirtor otherwise ceasing to function, there is no easy and fast way toreplace the wheel.

There are also garbage containers with built-in wheels, but, as with thewheeled stands, none of these supply a mechanism by which anonfunctional wheel can be easily and effectively removed and replaced.These types of garbage containers also lack the ability to change thesize and rotational abilities or lack thereof of its wheels. Forexample, a person living in an area where it snows substantially duringthe winter months may wish to have larger wheels on his/her garbagecontainers to cruise over the snow, while a person living on a dirt roadmay wish to have air-filled wheels for a smoother ride over theirregular road. Wheels which freely rotate 360 degrees may be optimumfor a slick asphalt driveway, while a person having to push his/hergarbage containers along a narrow sidewalk may prefer to have the “backwheels” locked in place with the only the front wheels allowed anyrotation, thereby allowing the user to have more directional controlover the garbage container.

The present invention provides just such a solution by teaching agarbage container with a threaded connection that creates a tight andsecure fit to prevent unwanted opening of the garbage container by windor animals. The threads are large, prominent, and relatively coarse, andcircumscribe the lid and trash can top at least two times, creating atrashcan/lid assembly which can be easily opened by a human hand toinsert trash, but is extremely difficult to open by animals. The garbagecontainer additionally offers pre-slotted, internally molded cavitiesinto which casters can be inserted or exchanged and secured with simplebolt or cotter pin. The cavities allow a user of the invention to,optionally, insert wheels mounted upon metal brackets, i.e., a caster,of different sizes, with different treads, either air-filled or solid,and with varying degrees of rotational abilities.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Various features and advantages of the invention will be set forth inpart in the following description, or may be obvious from thedescription, or may be learned from practice of the invention.

The present invention provides for a garbage container that has anelongated body that defines a cavity for use in holding items such asgarbage—a typical trashcan. The body has an end with a circumference,and the cavity is accessible through the end. A lid is configured forengaging the end of the body in order to close access into the cavitythrough the end of the body. A threaded engagement is configured withthe end of the lid. The threaded engagement is configured so thatattachment of the lid to the end is effected by completely rotating thelid around the circumference of the end at least one time, preferably atleast two times. This threaded portion of the lid and the upper sectionof the trashcan set this invention apart from other trashcan/lidassemblies.

Also provided in accordance with one aspect of the present invention isa garbage container as immediately discussed in which the threadedengagement is configured so that attachment of the lid to the end ismade by completely rotating the lid around the circumference of the endfrom two to four times.

Another aspect of the present invention resides in a garbage containeras discussed above in which the threaded engagement has male threadsthat are continuous around the entire circumference of the end. Thethreaded engagement also has female threads that are continuous and aredefined by the lid and are configured for engagement with the malethreads of the end.

Another aspect of the present invention exists in a garbage container asdescribed above in which the lid has a cap on an upper surface of thelid. The cap defines a hand grip that is configured for being grasped bythe hand of a user to effect rotation of the lid.

Yet another aspect of the present invention exists in a garbagecontainer as discussed above in which the body has a plurality of planarouter surfaces located between the end of the body and a bottom of thebody. In yet another alternative aspect of the present invention, eightplanar outer surfaces are present.

An additional aspect of the present invention resides in a garbagecontainer as previously discussed in which the body has a plurality ofplanar inner surfaces that are located between the end of the body and abottom of the body. The planar inner surfaces at least partially definethe cavity. Another aspect of the invention exists in a garbagecontainer as immediately mentioned in which eight of the planar innersurfaces are present.

In a further aspect of the present invention, the garbage container asimmediately mentioned includes inner planar surfaces that taperoutwardly. The inner planar surfaces taper outwardly in the axialdirection of the body towards an end of the body so that the cavity islarger proximate to the end as compared to the bottom of the body.

An additional aspect of the present invention exits in a garbagecontainer that has an elongated body that defines a cavity for use inholding garbage. The body has an end with a circumference. The cavity isaccessible through the end. The end has continuous male threads disposedthereon that extend about the entire circumference of the end. A lid ispresent and is configured for engaging the end of the body so as toclose access into the cavity through the end of the body. The liddefines female threads that extend around the lid. The female threads ofthe lid engage the male threads of the body so that the lid is securedto and removed from the body by rotating the lid with respect to thebody.

A further aspect of the present invention is present in a garbagecontainer as immediately discussed in which three of the male threadsand three of the female threads are present. The female threads areengaged with the male threads so that the lid is secured to the body bycompletely rotating the lid around the circumference of the end morethan one time.

An additional aspect of the present invention exists in a garbagecontainer as discussed above in which the body has a plurality of planarouter surfaces and inner surfaces that are located between the end ofthe body and a bottom of the body. The planar inner surfaces at leastpartially define the cavity.

Another aspect of the present invention resides in a garbage containeras immediately discussed in which eight of the planar outer surfaces andeight of the planar inner surfaces are present.

A still further aspect of the present invention is found in a garbagecontainer as immediately discussed in which the planar inner surfacestaper outwardly in the axial direction of the body towards an end of thebody. The cavity is larger proximate to the end as compared to thebottom of the body. Also, the planar outer surfaces taper outwardly inthe axial direction of the body towards the end of the body.

Another aspect of the present invention exits in a garbage containerthat has an elongated body that defines a cavity for use in holdinggarbage. The body has an end with a circumference, and the cavity isaccessible through the end. The end has continuous male threads disposedthereon that extend about the circumference of the end. The body haseight planar outer and inner surfaces located between the end of thebody and a bottom of the body. The planar inner surfaces at leastpartially define the cavity. A lid is configured for engaging the end ofthe body so as to close access into the cavity through the end of thebody. The lid defines female threads that extend around the lid. The lidhas a cap with a hand grip that is configured for being grasped by thehand of the user for rotating the lid. The female threads of the lidengage the male threads so that the lid is secured to and removed fromthe body by rotating the lid with respect to the body.

An additional aspect of the invention is to provide pre-slotted,internally molded cavities into which casters can be inserted orexchanged and secured with simple bolt or cotter pin, thereby allowing auser of the invention to insert wheels mounted upon metal brackets,i.e., a caster, of different sizes, with different treads, eitherair-filled or solid, and with varying degrees of rotational abilities,and to replace old or worn out casters without having to replace theentire unit.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the invention in order that the detailed description thereofmay be better understood, and in order that the present contribution tothe art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of theinvention that will be described hereinafter and which will form thesubject matter of the claims appended hereto. The features listed hereinand other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention willbecome better understood with reference to the following description andappended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated inand constitute part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of theinvention and, together with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part ofthis specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and togetherwith the description, serve to explain the principals of this invention.A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including thebest mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is setforth more particularly in the remainder of the specification, whichmakes reference to the appended Figs. in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a garbage can with the lid removedin accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the garbage can of FIG. 1 with thelid attached to a body of the garbage can.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the body of the garbage can of FIG. 1 withthe lid removed.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the garbage can of FIG. 1 with the lidattached to the body of the garbage can.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the garbage can of FIG. 1.

Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification anddrawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features orelements of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF REPRESENTATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the invention,one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Eachexample is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and notmeant as a limitation of the invention. For example, featuresillustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used withanother embodiment to yield still a third embodiment. It is intendedthat the present invention include these and other modifications andvariations.

It is to be understood that the ranges mentioned herein include allranges located within the prescribed range. As such, all rangesmentioned herein include all sub-ranges included in the mentionedranges. For instance, a range from 100-200 also includes ranges from110-150, 170-190, and 153-162. Further, all limits mentioned hereininclude all other limits included in the mentioned limits. For instance,a limit of up to 7 also includes a limit of up to 5, up to 3, and up to4.5.

The present invention provides for a garbage container 10 that isdesigned to prevent animals and rodents from removing the lid 12 of thegarbage container 10 and dispersing refuse onto the surrounding area.Specifically, the lid 12 can include integrally formed threads whichjoin with corresponding threads on the upper end of the container tocreate a tight and secure fit, thus preventing unwanted intrusion bywind, animals, and rodents.

FIG. 1 shows one exemplary embodiment of the garbage container 10 inwhich the lid 12 is removed from the body 14 of the garbage container10. The body 14 is elongated and defines a cavity for use in holdinggarbage therein. The body 14 can be made from a variety of materials.For example, the body 14 can be made of polyethylene, polypropylene,polyurethane, metal or nylon in accordance with various exemplaryembodiments. Further, the body 14 can be manufactured by way of a numberof different processes such as casting, extrusion, injection molding,rolling or stamping.

The lid 12 of the garbage container 10 can be made of the same materialas the body 14 or may be made of an entirely different material.Likewise, the lid 12 can be fabricated by way of the manufacturingprocesses described above with respect to the body 14. Here, the lid 12can be made through the same process as the body 14 or may be made froma completely different process. A threaded engagement 18 is present toallow the lid 12 to be attached to the body 14. As shown in theexemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, the threaded engagement 18 includesfemale threads 20 on the lid 12 and male threads 22 on the body 14.However, it is to be understood that in other exemplary embodiments ofthe present invention that the threaded engagement 18 includes femalethreads 20 that are present on the body 14 and male threads 22 that arelocated on the lid 12. The threaded engagement 18 allows for attachmentof the lid 12 to the body 14 in such a manner that prevents animals,rodents and wind from removing the lid 12 and emptying the contents ofthe garbage container 10.

The body 14 has an end 56 that defines a circumference 54. In theexemplary embodiment shown, the end 56 has a ring-shaped cross sectionwith a circular circumference 54. However, it is to be understood thatthe end 56 and circumference 54 can be variously configured in otherexemplary embodiments. The male threads 22 are disposed on the end 56and extend around the entire circumference 54. Here, the male threads 22are configured as a single element that extends continuously around theentire circumference 54 three times. Other exemplary embodiments arepossible in which the male threads 22 can extend any number of timesaround the entire circumference 54. For example, male threads 22 mayextend once around the entire circumference 54 or may extend from two toten and a half times around circumference 54.

The male threads 22 can be variously configured in accordance withdifferent exemplary embodiments of the garbage container 10. The pitchof the male threads 22 can be up to two inches in accordance withcertain embodiments. For example, the pitch of male threads 22 may beone inch in one embodiment of the invention. Likewise, the depth of malethreads 22 can be any desired amount. The depth of male threads 22 maybe from one half an inch to three inches, or the depth may be threefourths of an inch in accordance with certain embodiments. The threadform of the male threads 22 can be likewise varied as desired. Forinstance, the thread form of male threads 22 can be square, buttress,whitworth, unified-un, sharp V, acme or circular in accordance withdifferent embodiments of the present invention. The male threads 22 canbe arranged as either right-handed thread or as left-handed thread asdesired. The male threads 22 can be provided so that a lead from onehalf inch to four inches is present during attachment or removal of thelid 12.

The male threads 22 can be formed in a variety of manners on the end 56.For example the male threads 22 may be integrally formed with the body14. Here, the male threads 22 and body 14 can be molded as a singleintegral component. Alternatively, the male threads 22 can be formedseparately from the body 14 and attached thereto through any know meansof attachment such as adhesion, mechanical fasteners or welding.

The lid 12 defines a plurality of female threads 20 that arecomplimentary to the male threads 22 on the end 56 as shown in FIG. 1.Female threads 20 can be formed in a variety of manners on the lid 12.For example, the female threads 20 can be included as part of the moldthat is used to make the lid 12.

Alternatively, the female threads 20 can be cut or otherwise formed intothe side of the lid 12. Still further, the female threads 20 can beseparate components that are attached to the lid 12 through means suchas adhesion, welding or mechanical fasteners. Properties, such as depth,pitch and thread form, associated with the female threads 20 can besimilar to those discussed above with respect to the male threads 22 andtherefore repeating of this information is not necessary.

The lid 12 is provided with a cap 16 on an upper surface 62 thereof. Cap16 includes a hand grip 30 that is configured for being grasped by thehand of a user. The user may grasp hand grip 30 and manipulate lid 12 sothat it is positioned over the end 56 of the body 14. The lid 12 canthen be rotated about its circumference so that the female threads 20 ofthe lid 12 engage the male threads 22 of the body 14. The user can twistthe lid 12 multiple times 360° in order to engage the various femalethreads 20 and male threads 22. The lid 12 can thus be secured to thebody 14 through the threaded engagement 18. The threaded engagement 18provides a secure attachment between the lid 12 and body 14 and alsoacts to create a seal between these two parts to prevent odor inside ofthe garbage container 10 from escaping across this connection betweenlid 12 and body 14. The female threads 20 and male threads 22 can haveany desired thread class so that the tightness or looseness of the fitbetween these two components can be varied. For example, the femalethreads 20 and male threads 22 may tightly engage one another so thatthe resulting connection results in a strong seal. However, as it may beharder to attach and detach the lid 12 with such a configuration theconnection tightness between the threads 20 and 22 may be loosened whichcould result in a resulting seal of lesser strength.

Attachment of the lid 12 to the body 14 is shown in FIG. 2. Onceattached, an animal such as a raccoon will have to rotate the lid 12about the body 14 a number of times in order to remove the lid 12 toaccess contents inside of the garbage container 10. The garbagecontainer 10 can be configured so that the lid 12 must be rotated one ormore times in order to be removed.

For example, the lid 12 may need to be rotated from two to four times toeffect its removal. Although three male threads 22 may be present on theend 56, the lid 12 can still be attached to the body 14 with fewer thanthree rotations. Here, the user can rotate the lid 12 once or twice sothat some, but not all, of the female threads 20 engage the male threads22.

A set of handles 24 and 26 are attached to the body 14 to aid a user intransporting or tilting the garbage container 10. Each handle 24 and 26has a frame 66 that extends outward from the body 14 and includes a grip44 configured for being grasped by the hand of a user. Although a pairof handles 24 and 26 are present and are located on opposite sides ofthe body 14, any number of handles can be used in other embodiments andmay be located variously on the body 14. Further, other exemplaryembodiments exist in which the body 14 is not provided with any handles24 or 26. Handles 24 and 26 can be integrally formed with the body 14 ormay be separate components that are attached using any means known inthe art. As seen in FIG. 3, bolts 50 are provided in order to secure thehandles 24 and 26 to the body 14.

Referring back to FIGS. 2 and 3, handle 24 is shown as including anattachment member 38 that is used to attach a lanyard 32 to the handle24. Lanyard 32 is provided in order to keep the lid 12 from being lostwhen it is removed from the body 14. Lanyard 32 has a loop 34 that isdesigned for being attached to a receiving surface 28 defined on the cap16. The receiving surface 28 can be defined on the cap 16 proximate tothe upper surface 62 of lid 12 and may be bordered on the opposite sideby a ridge of the cap 16. Loop 34 can be disposed onto receiving surface28 and retained thereon between the ridge and upper surface 62. the loop34 may slide around receiving surface 28 so as to allow the lid 12 to bepositioned anywhere around the body 14 and to allow for the lid 12 torotate upon attachment and detachment of the lid 12 and body 14.

Lanyard 32 has an end 36 that is opposite from loop 34 that is attachedto, the attachment member 38. End 36 may be rigidly attached to theattachment member 38 or can pivot thereto. Likewise, the attachmentmember 38 can be rigidly attached to the handle 24 or may pivot withrespect to handle 24. The lanyard 32 can be of any length to allow forthe lid 12 to be retained at any desired proximity to the body 14. It isto be understood that a variety of different configurations are possiblefor the lanyard 32 and that the disclosed embodiment is only for sake ofexample. For instance, the lanyard 32 can be attached directly to thebody 14 and not to the handle 24 or 26 in other embodiments. Further,the attachment member 38 need not be present in that the end 36 can bewrapped or otherwise attached directly to the frame 66 or grip 44 of thehandle 24.

The body 14 has a plurality of outer planar surfaces 46. Although shownas having eight such outer planar surfaces 46, any number are possiblein other embodiments. The surface finishes between the outer planarsurfaces 46 can be different. For example, one of the outer planarsurfaces 46 can have a smooth finish while the other outer planarsurfaces 46 have a rough textured finish. Further, the outer planarsurface 46 that is smooth may be recessed one eighth of an inch fromadjacent outer planar surfaces 46 that have a rough textured finish. Theouter planar surfaces 46 are advantageous in that should the garbagecontainer 10 be knocked over due to wind, contact between the ground andthe outer planar surfaces 46 will tend to inhibit rolling of the garbagecontainer. Additionally, the outer planar surfaces 46 may taper in theoutward direction from the bottom 64 of the body towards the end 56 inthe axial direction. This outward tapering may cause a garbage container10 that is knocked over from the wind to rotate in a circular directionon the ground so that it does not advance too far from its originallocation.

A plurality of casters 40 can be attached to the body 14 to aid inmoving the garbage container 10 over floors, pavement, gravel and lawns.The casters 40 can be variously configured. For instance, the casters 40can be single or double wheeled casters and may either swivel or remainin a fixed orientation with respect to the body 14. Any type orconfiguration of casters 40 can be used in the present application. Thecasters 40 can be removably attachable to the body 14 to allow thegarbage container 10 to be adaptable for various situations. Forinstance, the garbage container 10 can be initially provided with a setof casters 40 suitable for use on a surface such as pavement. If theuser desires to move the garbage container 10 across a surface thatincludes rougher terrain such as grass or rock, a suitable set ofauxiliary casters 40 can be attached to the body 14. Further, thegarbage container 10 need not be initially provided with any casters 40.Here, the garbage container 10 may rest on the bottom 64 of the body 14.

Casters 40 can be attached to the body 14 through a variety ofmechanisms. As can be seen in FIG. 3, four mounting blocks 60 aredisposed around the interior of the body 14. Bolts 42, which are moreeasily seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, are used to attach the casters 40 to themounting blocks 60 and thus the body 14. Alternatively, slots can beintegrally molded into the lower portion of the body 14 to receive stemsor other structural members of casters 40 to effect attachment of thecasters 40 to the body 14. In this manner, the casters 40 can be eithersnap fit or frictionally fit onto the body 14 in the integrally moldedslots. The aforementioned integrally molded slots may be formed on theinside of the body 14 so that they are not visible from the exterior.Additionally, although shown as employing four casters 40, it is to beunderstood than any number of casters 40 can be included. For example,from five to eight casters 40 may be used in other embodiments.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 5, a drain hole 48 is defined in the bottom 64of the body 14. The drain hole 48 is present in order to allow liquidinside of the garbage container 10 to be drained therefrom. This couldbe desirable, for instance, if the lid 12 of the garbage container 10were left unattached to the body 14 during a rainstorm. The user canemploy the drain hole 48 to remove rain water from the garbage container10 before filling it with garbage. In this regard, a drain plug 68 asshown in FIG. 5 is present in order to plug the drain hole 48 andprevent liquid from traveling therethrough. The user can remove thedrain plug 68 when drainage of the garbage container 10 is desired. Thedrain plug 68 can have a handle portion for grasping by the user.Although shown as making use of a drain plug 68, this element need notbe present in other embodiments. For example, the drain hole 48 can beequipped with a one way valve mechanism that acts to drain the garbagecontainer 10 when a predetermined amount of water is present on thebottom of the body 14. Further, the garbage container 10 can be providedwith a drain hole 48 that is continuously open to the environment inother embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the body 14 detached from the lid 12. Thebody 14 defines a cavity 52. As shown in FIG. 3, the cavity 52 isdefined by the bottom 64 of the body in addition to a plurality of innerplanar surfaces 58. There are eight inner planar surfaces 58 present soas to give the body 14 an interior cross-section that is octagonal. Theinner planar surfaces 58 taper outwardly from the axis of the body 14 inthe axial direction from the bottom 64 to the end 56. In this manner,the cavity 52 is larger proximate the end 56 than it is proximate tobottom 64.

It is to be understood that the present container 10 has been describedas a garbage container 10 for sake of example and that the container 10disclosed herein may be used in other applications besides transportingand storing garbage. It is often the case that one uses a garbagecontainer for storage of items in their garage or basement. Other usesof a garbage container are likewise possible. For example, the container10 can be used as a cooler in accordance with one exemplary embodimentof the present invention. Here, an O-ring seal can be seated around thebody 14 at the bottom of the male threads 22. A user can engage the lid12 onto the body 14 and turn the lid 12 so the female threads 20 engagethe male threads 22 and eventually compress the O-ring seal to form asealed locking arrangement. The O-ring seal is advantageous in that itprevents cooled air from escaping. However, it is to be understood thatthe O-ring seal can be used when the container 10 is used as a garbagecontainer as well.

When used as a cooler, the container 10 can also be designed so that thebody 14 is double walled and is lined with foam insulation to maintaindesired thermal properties in the cavity 52. A drain plug 68 and drainhole 48 are also advantageously provided as it is common for ice, whichmelts, to be present inside of coolers. As such, it is to be understoodthat although described as being used to hold garbage, in certainexemplary embodiments, the garbage container 10 can be used in otherapplications besides those in which garbage is housed and transported.

While the present invention has been described in connection withcertain preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the subjectmatter encompassed by way of the present invention is not to be limitedto those specific embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended for thesubject matter of the invention to include all alternatives,modifications and equivalents as can be included within the spirit andscope of the following claims.

Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially thescientists, engineers, and practitioners in the art who are not familiarwith patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from acursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure ofthe application. The abstract is neither intended to define theinvention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is itintended to be limiting, as to the scope of the invention in any way.

1. A garbage container, comprising: an elongated body defining a cavity for use in holding items therein, said body having an end with a circumference, said cavity accessible through said end; a lid configured for engaging said end of said body so as to close access into said cavity through said end of said body; and a threaded engagement configured with said end and said lid, said threaded engagement configured so that attachment of said lid to said end is effected by completely rotating said lid around said circumference of said end at least one time.
 2. The garbage container as in claim 1, wherein said threaded engagement is configured so that attachment of said lid to said end is effected by completely rotating said lid around said circumference of said end from two to four times.
 3. The garbage container as in claim 1, wherein said threaded engagement has male threads that are continuous around the entire said circumference of said end, and wherein said threaded engagement has female threads that are continuous and are defined by said lid, and are configured for engagement with said male threads of said end.
 4. The garbage container as in claim 1, wherein said lid has a cap on an upper surface of said lid, wherein said cap defines a hand grip configured for being grasped by the hand of a user to effect rotation of said lid.
 5. The garbage container as in claim 4, wherein said cap defines a receiving surface, and further comprising a lanyard having a loop located on said receiving surface of said cap, and further comprising a handle carried by said body and an attachment member carried by said handle, wherein said lanyard is attached to said attachment member.
 6. The garbage container as in claim 1, wherein said body has a plurality of planar outer surfaces located between said end of said body and a bottom of said body.
 7. The garbage container as in claim 6, wherein eight of said planar outer surfaces are present.
 8. The garbage container as in claim 1, wherein said body has a plurality of planar inner surfaces located between said end of said body and a bottom of said body, wherein said planar inner surfaces at least partially define said cavity.
 9. The garbage container as in claim 8, wherein eight of said planar inner surfaces are present.
 10. The garbage container as in claim 9, wherein said planar inner surfaces taper outwardly in the axial direction of said body towards said end of said body such that said cavity is larger proximate to said end as compared to said bottom of said body.
 11. The garbage container as in claim 1, wherein said body has a bottom that defines a drain hole configured to allow liquid present in said cavity of said body to be drained therefrom through said bottom and out of said body.
 12. The garbage container as in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of casters carried by said body and configured for rendering said body mobile.
 13. A garbage container, comprising: an elongated body defining a cavity for use in holding garbage, said body having an end with a circumference, said cavity accessible through said end, said end having continuous male threads disposed thereon that extend about the entire said circumference of said end; and a lid configured for engaging said end of said body so as to close access into said cavity through said end of said body, said lid defining female threads thereon that extend around said lid; wherein said female threads of said lid engage said male threads of said body so that said lid is secured to and removed from said body by rotating said lid with respect to said body.
 14. The garbage container as in claim 13, wherein three of said male threads and three of said female threads are present, and wherein said female threads are engaged with said male threads so that said lid is secured to said body by completely rotating said lid around said circumference of said end more than one time.
 15. The garbage container as in claim 13, wherein said lid has a cap on an upper surface of said lid, wherein said cap defines a hand grip configured for being grasped by the hand of a user to effect rotation of said lid, wherein said cap defines a receiving surface; further comprising a lanyard having a loop located on said receiving surface of said cap; and further comprising a handle carried by said body that has an attachment member, wherein said lanyard is attached to said attachment member.
 16. The garbage container as in claim 13, wherein said body has a plurality of planar outer and inner surfaces located between said end of said body and a bottom of said body, wherein said planar inner surfaces at least partially define said cavity.
 17. The garbage container as in claim 16, wherein eight of said planar outer surfaces are present, and wherein eight of said planar inner surfaces are present.
 18. The garbage container as in claim 17, wherein said planar inner surfaces taper outwardly in the axial direction of said body towards said end of said body such that said cavity is larger proximate to said end as compared to said bottom of said body, and wherein said planar outer surfaces taper outwardly in the axial direction of said body towards said end of said body.
 19. The garbage container as in claim 13, further comprising a plurality of casters carried by said body and configured for rendering said body mobile.
 20. A garbage container, comprising: an elongated body defining a cavity for use in holding garbage, said body having an end with a circumference, said cavity accessible through said end, said end having continuous male threads disposed thereon that extend about said circumference of said end, wherein said body has eight planar outer and eight planar inner surfaces located between said end of said body and a bottom of said body, wherein said planar inner surfaces at least partially define said cavity; a lid configured for engaging said end of said body so as to close access into said cavity through said end of said body, said lid defining female threads thereon that extend around said lid, said lid having a cap with a hand grip configured for being grasped by the hand of the user so as to rotate said lid; wherein said female threads of said lid engage said male threads of said body so that said lid is secured to and removed from said body by rotating said lid with respect to said body; and a plurality of casters carried by said body and configured for rendering said body mobile. 